


Three's a crowd

by fanetjuh



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Multi, OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 01:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13066239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/pseuds/fanetjuh
Summary: Simon and Clary go together to the university after years of dating, but they can't get a dorm just for themselves.But it wouldn't be too bad to share their dorm with a stranger, right? After all, strangers could become friends over time.They couldn't have known that the stranger would be Jace and that he would change both their lives, for better or for worse, the moment he walked through their dorm door.





	Three's a crowd

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doctorkaitlyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorkaitlyn/gifts).



> This fic was beta'd by the wonderful Bern from Shadowhunters Betas on tumblr. Thank you so much for helping me out!

Clary's head rested on Simon's shoulder while she kept her eyes on the screen. She had lost track of what the movie was about at least half an hour ago already, but she had not dared to bring that up. When she had asked what movie they were going to watch, Simon had stuttered something about her being a shame for humanity because she had never heard about the star trek franchise before. She did not want to push any other buttons tonight. Not while her mind was mostly distracted after she had seen their roommate Jace coming out of the shower without a shirt on. 

"Do you think Jace would like Star Trek?" 

Clary straightened her back and furrowed her eyebrows while she shrugged her shoulders. "How should I know that?" She licked her dry lips and hoped Simon wouldn't notice her sweating hands. "Why would you want to know that?" Clary cocked her head and Simon shrugged his shoulders. 

"Just because..." Simon avoided her glance and he grabbed the remote controller to pause the movie. "I think you and I need to talk about something. Right now. And I don't think you're gonna like it and you have every right to be angry with me."

Clary narrowed her eyes and she curled her hand around her boyfriend's arm . "You're scaring me, Simon..." She bit her lip. Maybe she should confess a few things herself too, but she was not sure if whatever she felt when Jace was anywhere near was risking her perfectly amazing relationship with Simon for. 

It was probably simply a phase. Something that would pass over time. 

Yes, Jace was nice to look at and yes, he was also witty and very charming, but she was in love with Simon. She was in love with the friend she knew for as long as she could remember. 

They had played in the sand together. They had shared toys at Kindergarten. She had protected Simon from bullies in high school, while he had helped her to pass her math and physics classes. They had only send application letters to universities offering both arts and IT classes. And whey they had both been accepted to New York University they had tried everything they could to get to share a dorm.

Much to their own surprise it had worked out. And they had been looking forward to countless of evenings together on the couch. But neither of them could have known that not too long after moving they would need to have a talk like this.

"I think I feel something for Jace." Simon blurted the words out and for a moment Clary was too perplexed to say anything. "I don't feel anything less for you. I still love you and I still want that future together. I want to marry you. I want to be the father of your red haired babies. But I feel something for Jace and it's confusing and distracting and it's something I'm not proud of and I think you should know about it."

Clary kept silent. She simply stared at him with her eyes wide open and her jaw slowly dropped. 

When she had packed her bags, her mother had asked her at least ten times if she was sure about this, if this was the university she wanted to go to. Clary had been sure about this. She had wanted to go wherever Simon was going, even if somehow the relationship between her and Simon wouldn't work out any longer. She wanted to give it a chance, she wanted to give it a fair chance. Just because her mother had bad experiences with love, it didn't mean that she and Simon wouldn't get their happy ending. 

"I totally understand it if you're mad at me. I promise that I'll never do anything with him. I will totally keep my distance. I can't promise not to dream about him, but I do promise I won't touch him and won't kiss him." Simon lifted his hands up and Clary swallowed before she finally found her voice back.

Of course they had not gotten a dorm with just the two of them. Their parents didn't have the money to pay for a new library wing. They couldn't offer to sponsor a gym. But it wouldn't be too bad to share their dorm with a stranger, right? After all, strangers could become friends  over time.

They couldn't have known that the stranger would be Jace and that he would change both their lives, for better or for worse, the moment he walked through their dorm door.

"I want to touch and kiss him too." She blurted the words out and her cheeks heated up as soon as she had done so. "I didn't know who to tell you about it, but have you seen him walk out of that shower without a shirt and with his hair all wet?"

"I did." Simon curled his lips up into a smile. "That's the moment I realised that this wasn't just one boy noticing that another boy was ridiculously hot." He folded his hands in his lap and he leaned back. "So, you're not angry with me because I feel something for him?"

"Are you angry with me because I do?" Clary locked her glance with his and Simon shook his head. 

"No, I absolutely understand what you see in him." Simon paused for a moment. "So, do you also still love me, even though he's everything I'm not?"

"Of course I do!" Clary sat up and pecked his cheek. "He's everything you're not, but you're everything he's not." Her hand played with his hair.  "Although, I don't think I'd be against you being with both of us if I could be with both of you. If only that was possible." Clary softened her voice, almost afraid of everything she was saying and most of all of how Simon would react on it.

"Who says it isn't?" Simon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wouldn't mind sharing you with him if you wouldn't mind sharing him with me."

"I don't really think he's into something like that..." Clary hesitated, but her nose brushed his. 

"We can ask him?"  Simon gently lifted her chin up to make her to look up at him. "The worst that can happen is that he finds out that two amazing people think he's overwhelmingly attractive. How can he not take that as a compliment?"

"I can come up with how that's not a compliment..." Clary protested a little, but she had to admit that now the idea had taken root in her mind it was hard to not at least allow herself to imagine what it would be like. 

"We're just gonna ask him." Simon squeezed her hand and kissed her lips. "Tomorrow, after dinner. We invite him to watch a movie with us and then we're gonna ask him about it."

"And what if he hates it?" Clary closed her eyes and kissed Simon back.

"Then we'll just have to avoid him for the next four years." 

\----

Clary tried not to stare at Jace, sitting in the kitchen bent over a studybook, while she was doing the dishes. She had a weird feeling in her stomach and she couldn't determine if it was a pleasant feeling or not. 

"Hey Jace!" Simon walked into the kitchen with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Clary and I were gonna watch a movie tonight and we were wondering if you'd like joining us?" His voice was shaking a little and when Clary looked over her shoulders she saw the same nerves she was feeling in Simon's eyes. 

"Yes, sure." Jace curled his lips up into a smile while he closed his book. "I was done with studying anyway." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. "What movie are we watching?" 

Simon exchanged a glance with Clary and Clary stuck the tip of her tongue between her lips. "We haven't really picked something yet." She eventually stuttered while she placed the last plate in the closet. "Simon has an impressive collection. Maybe you want to pick the movie for tonight?" She tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear and she hid her wrinkled hands behind her back while Jace frowned his eyebrows. 

"Okay." He straightened his back and stood up from his seat. He kept his glance firmly on Clary and Simon and cocked his head. "I have the feeling I'm missing something here." He sat down on the table and he  crossed his arms over his chest . "What's going on?"

Clary saw how Simon's cheeks turned redder than the reddest tomato she had ever seen and she tried to hid her own warm cheeks by staring at one of the many posters on Jace's bedroom door. 

"Look..." Simon cleared his throat and let out a deep sigh. "Clary and I have been talking, and if you don't like it or don't want it or aren't into any of those things, just let us know, but..." He paused in the middle of his sentence and Clary swallowed. 

" We think we've both started feeling something for you. " She blurted out the words. The strange, but pleasant, feeling in her stomach had now turned into something painful. 

There was no way back anymore. Either Jace would hate the plan and they would have to avoid him for the rest of their college time.  Or Jace would love the idea and this could be the start of something new and terrifying at the same time.

Clary wasn't sure which of those two options scared us the most. "We didn't stop loving each other." She hurried to add that vital but of information. "But we..." She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "We wouldn't mind seeing if this, us, you, we, I don't know what it's called, could somehow work?" 

Jace cocked his head. He had his arms still crossed over his chest and his tight shirt stretched around the muscles of his upper arm.

Clary felt her heart skipping a few beats in her chest, but she kept her glance locked with his. It maybe was the scariest thing she had ever done, including asking Simon out and risking ruining the wonderful friendship they had had before it had blossomed into a relationship. "Look, we totally understand if you don't want this or if you don't feel the same!" Clary raised her voice and shook her head. "Just forget that we ever asked, okay?"

"No, not okay." Jace stood up from his seat and he slowly walked towards Clary. His heavy steps were echoing through the silence. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He placed his hands on Clary's shoulders and her entire skin started tingling. "Are you sure this is what you both want?" Jace looked over his shoulder to Simon. 

Simon nodded as quickly as he could while he rushed towards them. "Yes!" His voice voice cracked a little. "You're the hottest guy I've ever seen and I really love Clary, but there is this part of me that wants to..." 

Jace turned around and pressed his lips on Simon's. "Kiss me?" He curled his lips up into a smile.

"No, not just that!" Simon licked his lips and he placed one hand on the back of his neck. "That sounds very stupid and superficial and that's not what I want this to be." He shook his head. "I want this to be something serious, something beautiful, something great." He only stopped talking when Jace pressed his lips on Simon's again. "I also want to love you and I want to know how your day was and I want to dry your tears and I want to share your laughter and..." 

Jace kissed Simon again. "I've never met someone who really wanted that..." His voice was a soft whisper and when he pulled back again he turned back to Clary. 

Clary was already leaning on the tips of her toes. "This must be your lucky day then." She wavered a little. "Because now you've not just met one someone who wants that, but two." As soon as Jace leaned in to kiss her too she closed her eyes. Her hand reached for Simon's, pulling him closer towards them while the kiss between her and Jace deepened. 

Somehow she had not believed that this would happen, that Jace would really be okay with this, that they were really gonna try this with the three of them. She knew that it probably wasn't going to be easy. She knew that there would be fights and there would be jealousy. She knew that there would be moments she might regret everything. But she really hoped it was worth it. She liked to believe it would be worth it.


End file.
